Miscarriage of Justice Survivor
Mpagi’s story is tragic, almost farcical and above all inspirational. Idi Amin had been overthrown again, returning Milton Obote to power, but Obote had learned little from his previous ouster. A corrupt criminal justice system allowed an outrageous miscarriage of justice to happen.
Mpagi and his cousin Fred Masembe were arrested for the murder of William Wandyaka in 1981. The families of Wandyaka and Edward had been in dispute. Mpagi told a strange story at trial – one that, incredibly, was true. He insisted that not only were he and Masembe innocent, but that Wandyaka was alive and may even have have attended the trial.
Edmary and Masembe were convicted and sentenced to death in 1982. Masembe fell ill. Suffering from malaria he was refused treatment – told that it would be an unjustifiable waste of resources to treat a Death Row prisoner. Masembe died of that and complications arising from it on August 29th 1985. Masembe’s death proved to be a callous waste of an innocent life.
Bizarrely even though the authorities were aware in 1989 that the ʻmurder victimʼ was in fact alive and well, Mpagi remained on Death Row until 2000. He had spent 18 years on Death Row for a crime he not only did not commit, but one that had never happened. A nine member Presidential Committee released Mpagi, deciding he was innocent.
Mpagi’s story is inspirational on many levels. Held for many years in the Luzira Upper Prison he taught his fellow inmates to read and write. He became one of the longest serving inmates and a prison elder. Mpagi is now an advocate for the abolition of the death penalty and is a committed religious leader. A graduate from a Catholic Diocese he regularly tours prisons providing inspiration and hope to prisoners.
He has been at the UN Headquarters working with Amnesty International regarding a moratorium on the death penalty in his country and indeed abroad. He has brought his message of hope to France, Spain, the USA and many other countries with his message of abolition and justice.
He has been at the UN Headquarters working with Amnesty International regarding a moratorium on the death penalty in his country and indeed abroad. He has brought his message of hope to France, Spain, the USA and many other countries with his message of abolition and justice.
He is connected with Kathy Ozzard Chism at the all-volunteer non-profit Dream One World organisation.1 Together, they are building a school compound for 150 of these orphans in Uganda, with the help of volunteer workers and donors from around the world.
Mpagi is valued member of the Fitted-In Project too. His vindication offers a cautionary tale, not just of the problems with capital punishment, but of an unjust criminal justice system too. His case ought to have been a story so unbelievable that it would have been rejected as completely implausible for the big screen. Sadly it was true, cost one innocent man his life and could have robbed us of the inspirational Mpagi too. He played an instrumental role in organising Ugandans Against the Death Penalty, which he launched during the return trip to Africa of Journey of Hope – From Violence to Healing towards the end of 2014.
Last year (2016) Mpagi addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations on the Death Penalty
1 For more information see http://www.dreamoneworld.org/projects/uganda-project